Why Not to Underestimate the Power of Prayer
Many times we underestimate the considerable power of prayer. And what praying accomplishes in our lives, hearts, and in the heavenly realm.
Because believing in prayer is not the same as actually spending time in prayer.
So we often struggle in this area of the Christian walk.
In these current unprecedented days, I desire to spend more time with God in prayer—to anchor myself to Him.
I need the power of prayer every day.
Let’s unpack some reasons not to underestimate the power of P-R-A-Y-E-R. Also, the benefits for our heart and our relationship with God.
Power of Prayer-Praise
P – Proclaims the Lord’s glory and praise.
Proclaiming the Lord’s glory and praise is not just for times of corporate worship. In fact, prayer is a form of individual worship. And it’s never all about us like a kid with a wish-list of wants and give-me’s.
Praising the Lord and glorifying His holy name is a great way to start prayer. It’s a wonderful way to pray in-between petitions and intercessions and to finish prayer.
“My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day.” Psalm 71:8 (ESV)
Praising the Lord and glorifying His holy name is a great way to start prayer, to pray in-between petitions and intercessions, and to finish prayer. #Prayer Click To TweetR – Renews a right spirit in us.
In Psalm 51, David prayed to confess his sin with Bathsheba and ask the Lord for a clean heart. He asked God to restore the joy of his salvation, and to renew a right spirit in him.
And the Lord graciously answered by doing all this and more. God restored David spiritually and to his position.
Likewise, prayer spiritually restores us in our relationship with God (and others). And even our position when a right spirit’s renewed in us.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10 (ESV)
Benefits Prayer Achieves
A – Arms us for spiritual warfare.
The Bible makes it clear, we face an unseen enemy and the forces of darkness. Ephesians 6:10-17 describes the armor of God and its importance in this battle. But we often miss the final piece in verse 18. Prayer!
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)
Y – Yields our hearts to God’s purposes.
I sometimes find it difficult to yield my plans and will to the Lord. But I’m learning God’s ways are best, He knows best, and all the best things come from Him.
Notice the verses preceding the one we often quote, Romans 8:28.
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:26-28 (ESV, emphasis added)
Power of Prayer-Release
E – Encourages an intimate relationship with God.
We build intimate relationships by spending time with people. So the same is true with God. When we are in God’s presence praying and listening to what He has to say to us, our intimacy with Him grows. And we know and understand Him better.
When we are in God’s presence praying and listening to what He has to say to us, our intimacy with Him grows. And we know and understand Him better. #Prayer Click To TweetWe note Revelation 3:20 for salvation, and rightly so. Yet, it’s also a spiritual image of inviting the Lord into our lives over and over.
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20 (ESV)
R – Releases our burdens and control to God.
God didn’t create us to carry burdens or to allow us control. The Creator is CEO of the world and my life because I belong to Him. I only mess things up and create more burdens for myself when I take over.
And the Lord has a strong shoulder for the burdens heaped upon us from others or due to cultural issues.
Prayer releases our burdens to God. The Lord has a strong shoulder for the burdens heaped upon us from others or due to cultural issues. #Prayer Click To Tweet“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)
Power of Prayer
Which aspect of the power of P.R.A.Y.E.R. speaks to you the most?
Last week we looked at, 7 Suprising Ways We Walk in Heavenly Wisdom.
Sometimes I participate in these link-ups:
Legacy Linkup/Inspire Me Monday/Tell His Story/Recharge Wednesday/Let’s Have Coffee/Tune in Thursday/Heart Encouragement/Embracing the Unexpected (Grace & Truth) and Faith On Fire.
© 2022 by Karen Friday, All rights reserved
What a great message, Karen. We so often feel helpless as we pray. You’ve shown us the results before the answers! It’s really hard to pick one aspect of your acronym that is most important. We need understanding that God will do His will and we can trust Him. We need to draw close to Him. We need the renewal of our spirits. We need to praise Him. We need to be armed for the challenges we face. Nice post!
Thank you, Nancy. Agree, we need all those aspects of prayer in our lives and more! What prayer accomplishes in our hearts and lives, in others we pray over, and in the heavenlies is beyond our complete comprehension this side of heaven.
I love how you started this piece…”believing in prayer is not the same as actually spending time in prayer.”
One of the great joys in my life is praying for others. However it can be heartbreaking when people constantly ask for prayer but they don’t pray for themselves and don’t take steps to make changes that are needed in their lives. You know what I mean. You give advice and their response is always, “Yeah, but….”
The person is so shackled to the unhealthy patterns in their lives that they are stuck.
The best response in these matters is to pray but to stop short of offering any advice.
You offer much wisdom here, Barb. And I know exactly what you mean. Prayer is never meant to be underestimated, but prayer’s also never meant to act as a crutch for us to stay in a place God never meant for us to linger in. We can pray that the Holy Spirit will open eyes to the truth.
I love all of your posts.
Rebecca, so kind of you to say. Touched my heart more than you know. God bless! “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)
An excellent post on the whys and hows of prayer. Thank you for providing so many verses and passages that exhort us to pray frequently, taking our burdens to the Lord. It is so easy to forget to pray, to take things into our owns hands, but they never turn out the way we had hoped. Only the Lord can bring about what we truly need when we pray.
Melinda, love this, “Only the Lord can bring about what we truly need when we pray.” Isn’t that at the center of prayer? We are praying to the Almighty God for His plans and purposes to be fulfilled in our lives and on the earth. Thank you!
Love how you use acronyms to help us remember these important truths.
Thank you, Ava. I pray we never underestimate the sheer and epic power of prayer to change things, change others and change us!
The power and efficacy of prayer can never be underestimated, Karen. Let us make and take intentional time to be in relationship with the Lord through prayer.
Blessings!
So true, Martha. Thank you! “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)
Enjoyed this so much ma’am. We sometimes forget the impact our prayers can have when we put ourselves in the right position with God. In my Daily Prayer List, I begin each day with “Praise God for all He’s done, all He’s doing, and all He’ll do in the future.” I end with thanksgiving, but I practice the J-O-Y model of prayer; taught to me by my adopted mama. Jesus – Others – You. God’s blessings my friend.
Hi J.D., I always find your acronyms helpful when reading your blog posts. How well I remember J-O-Y. Such a good and wise way to approach prayer. And all the while prayer is growng us closer and ever nearer to the heart of God!
Wonderful post Karen. I think we never fully understand the power of our prayers. It can move the heavens to action. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Agree, Yvonne. Love your words here, “It can move the heavens to action.” We may never know all that our prayers accomplish until we are face to face with Christ.
I feel so strongly in prayer. It works, but it’s also such a powerful way to have intimacy with our Creator. Pray always for ANYTHING!
That’s a good word, Jessica. And perhaps what Paul wanted to convey when he said to pray without ceasing and in all things to give thanks from 1 Thessalonians. Thanks for your comment.
Karen, I loved these prayer guidelines. I have heard many suggestions and seen other acronyms to guide prayers, but this provides some new angles of beauty to consider. Each one touched my heart and stirred me to seek the Lord anew in prayer. Bless you!
Thank you, Melissa. Glad this spoke to your heart. Not only in these current unprecedented days do I desire to spend more time with God in prayer—to anchor myself to Him, but I also need the power of prayer every day. In struggle or peace, prayer brings us up close to the heavenly Father and connects our soul, heart, and spirit directly to Him. Oh, may we never underestimate prayer’s power!
I love how we can go to God in prayer at any time. I find comfort in knowing He is always listening and hearing.
It’s so comforting to know we can approach God’s throne with praise and petition. But even how prayer grows and intimate relationship with the Father.
I am so very grateful for all of the benefits we receive when we pray. I think what amazes me the most is how prayer brings God close. Through prayer, He assures me I am never alone. Grateful to be reminded of the power of prayer at the start of another week!
I love that aspect of prayer too, Joanne. Prayer helps our intimacy with God grow by conversing with Him in a personal relationship.
Karen, I always love learning with an acrostic. Great job! As a bible enthusiast, I have to make sure I give the Lord my time in prayer as well. It’s so easy to dwell in the Word without dwell in prayer equally.
Also, I loved your phrase, “The Creator is CEO of the world.” I never thought of Him in that way before; but of course, it is true.
Hi Jerralea, I like how you said, “It’s so easy to dwell in the Word without dwell in prayer equally.” I’ve found myself struggling with that as well. Besides seeing the Lord as CEO of the world and our lives, I also ask myself if I’m in His seat. 🙂
Karen, I love your descriptions of prayer here. Each point resonates with me. And, if I’m honest, the one that can be the most challenging to live out is the one of yielding my plans to God, because, as you mentioned, His plans are ALWAYS best. Beautifully written.
Thank you, Jeanne. Yes, agree, that is never easy to lay down our agenda and pick up God’s will for our lives. But brings about God’s best in our lives. Appreciate you commenting.
Oh my Mrs Karen!! Our Lord has given you exactly what my heart and spirit needed this week!! This weeks post was so so easy to absorb and retain in my spiritual hunger! It was like the warm piece of grandma’s pound cake. Delicious! I’m going through some things with my daughter trying to be the best mom I can as she navigates a storm in her marriage and your blessed post gave me everything I need to help her. I will definitely share this with her as well. Keep pressing forward for Christ and abundant blessings to you!!!
Aw, that is a very kind and encouraging comment, Rita. So glad this message spoke to your heart. I’ll be praying for your daughter, her marriage, and you as you pray over her for wisdom from the Lord. Grateful the Lord has a strong shoulder for our burdens. God bless. Your comment blessed me.
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